From now until further notice, I will not be accepting digital submissions (unless they are digital-only release, in which case I will make an exception based on the nature of the request). It is too hard to deal with the many, many emails of Bandcamp links. I will be attempting to finish up the digital submissions I have already received.

Poison Tongue – Lick You Sweety (C34, No Visible Scars)

Lick You Sweety appears to feel comfortable dwelling in perversity. From the lewd cover art to the dark pools of rhythmic noise, Poison Tongue takes the listener on a dark path while varying the sound with blasts of noise, leaving the listener to lick their wounds.

“Diabolos” begins with an eerie, dark ambient drifter of a piece, with muffled bangs along with some synth-like tones that dwell throughout the song. At times deep spoken word will filter in, a fairly indecipherable poem that adds to the atmosphere without drowning out the tones. It’s a swift-moving piece for 8 minutes, and where at first the mood is somewhat bleak, Poison Tongue drops the bass and windy moans for a more upbeat ending. “Diabolos” is a suitable name, as the drones showcase a fairly bleak environment perfect for Hell.

The dark ambience of “Diabolos” continues with “Sweet Desire,” this time with a similar background drone but with a perversity missing on the opener. Full of buzzing electronic outbursts and cackling dark growls in the darkness of the noise, “Sweet Desire”‘s impact comes directly from its themes and the unsettling vocals, along with the chiming sound of a distorted clock ticking away the hours. This is an excellent track to follow up with, and again, the witchery of the sound draws the listener into the shadows.

“Lust” is a short but intense track to end side A of the tape, beginning with a lilting buzz, some foreshadowing blasts, and then a noisy blast of screamed vocals and harsh noise. It’s somewhat out of place after the longer, drifting ideas of the previous tracks, but this also seems the point – a surprise shock to the senses before the tape flips for three more disturbing cuts. “The Lizard Lord,” while being the longest track on the album, maintains similar ideas but incorporates some of the harsher noises of “Lust,” like screamed vocals along with blasts of static and crunchy tone shifts. It’s not too much different from the textures of the first two tracks, but it does follow the motifs Lick You Sweety carries.

“Interlude” seems to provide the same type of intercession as “Lust,” breaking up the drone of the album with a fast-paced, bassy and pounding rhythm that’s very similar to power electronics, with manipulated and distorted vocals on top. It does its job well, shifting out of the monotony of the other songs just long enough to jump back into the ambience with “Ripping.” Featuring whirring tones underneath some higher end feedback tones and a horror-soundtrack synth line, “Ripping” differs from the deep dark mood of the other tracks by providing a welcome change in pitch.

Lick You Sweety is mainly focused on the dark ambient genre, with repetitious but rhythmic drones mixed with elements of horror soundscapes. Some of the tracks seem rather similar, but Poison Tongue manages to infuse different types of noise in the tracks to foster a sense of individuality; however, tracks like “Lust” and “Interlude” manage to improve the release by giving listeners a chance to leave the meandering drones for quick blasts of harsher noise. If these cuts weren’t on the tape, Lick You Sweety could have gotten stale; fortunately, that’s not the case here, and the C34 doesn’t lose steam except for perhaps a few moments on “The Lizard Lord.”

Published by Ryne

I'm Ryne, a graduate of MCLA with a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing, currently exploring my options as a writer. I currently run and operate my own horror blog, TheMoonisaDeadWorld.net, as well as a site that reviews noise releases. I've written for The Liberal Dead, Horrornews.net, and other websites, as well as freelance articles for my local newspaper. I'd love to write for you as well.
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